Dum Aloo

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 kg Small Potatoes
2. A pinch of Asfoetida
3. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
4. 1 tsp Chilli powder
5. 1 Medium size onion (grated)
6. 2 cup Fine Curd
7. 4-5 Bay Leaves
8. 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
9. 4 tbsp Ghee or oil
10. 1/2 cup Milk
11. Salt to taste

For Masala:
• 2 Cardamoms
• 7-8 Black Peppers
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Caraway Seeds
• 4-5 Cloves
• 1 Small piece of Cinnamon

How to make Dum Aloo:
1) Make a fine powder by blending together the ingredients of the masala in a blender. Keep it aside.
2) Remove the peel from potatoes and prick them.
3) Take oil in a frying pan and heat it for about one minute. Fry the potatoes on a medium heat until their color changes from white to light brown. Keep it aside.
4) Add grated onion, asafoetida, bay leaves and ginger-garlic paste to the remaining oil.
5) Fry the mixture till the paste turns reddish brown.
6) Add the masala prepared and heat for about 2 to 3 minutes.
7) Add turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
8) Fry again for about a minute.
9) Now pour the milk to make gravy followed by adding fine curd.
10) Keep stirring continuously, add water if the gravy appears too thick.
11) Now add pricked potatoes to this gravy and cook in a pressure cooker. Remove from the flame after 4 to 5 minutes just before the first whistle.
12) Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.
13) Dum Aloo is ready to serve.

Simple Cookies

Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
2. 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3. 1 pinch salt
4. 1/4 cup milk
5. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 1/2 cup butter, softened
7. 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Procedure:
1) Sift together flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and salt. Stir in milk, vanilla and soft butter. Blend well and fold. Chill well.
2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with foil.
3) Roll the dough like chapathi pencil thin and cut in required shape. Arrange cookies on the cookie sheet/foil. decorate with chopped almonds.
4) Bake on top rack of the oven for 12 minutes until set, do not brown. Let the cookies cool on pan. While still warm roll the cookies in leftover powdered sugar.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

1. Aalugadda/ Potato: 1/2 kgs.
2. Mirapakaayalu/ green chillies: 2
3. Senagapappu/ Chana dal: 1 tsp.
4. Minappappu/ Urad dal: 1 tsp.
5. Aavalu/Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp.
6. Jeelakarra/Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp.
7. karivepaku / curry leaves: 1 tsp.
8. Senagapindi/Besan/Gram flour: 1 cup.
9. Uppu / Salt as per taste.
10. Kaaram/ Mirch powder: 1/4 tsp.
11. Vaamu/ Curum/ Ajwain: 1/4 tsp.

Procedure:
Aloo curry:
1) Cut the potatoes and boil in the cooker with 1/2 tsp of salt.
2) Peel the potatoes and mash them and keep aside.
3) Take oil in a kadai. Fry the dals and also musturd seeds and jeera. Add chopped green chillies and curry leaves.
4) Add the mashed potatoes. Add mirch powder.
5) Switch off the stove and wait till it cools down.

6) In a bowl, mix the gram flour, salt, ajwain, a bit of mirch powder.
7) Make small balls of the curry.
8) dip each ball in the batter made.
9) Deep fry the balls in oil.
10) Serve Hot with tomato sauce or coconut chutney.

Sweet Puffs Filled With Coconut & Tuti-Fruity

Ingredients

2 Sheets of puff pastry thawed

1/2 cup fresh scraped coconut

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup tutti fruity/mixed dried fruits.

4 -5 green cardamom powdered

1/4 cup water



Method

For filling: 1) Heat sugar , water and powdered cardamom powder in water and boil till sugar melts completely. Now add coconut and bring to a boil and then fry till the sugar gets blended well with the coconut and then add colourful dried fruits and mix. Boil till all the water is dried.


2) Take one puff pastry, cut other a bit smaller than the first one.


3) Take the big piece place the filling now put the smaller sheet on the top and seal the edges with the help of a little water.


4) Now brush a little butter on the top of prepared one then bake it in a preheated oven of 180'c for about 20 mins or till nicely baked and golden on the top.


5) Check the base if its not done,flip the puff so that the base is also baked properly.


6) Cut the shape according to your interest I prefer squares easy to distribute.


Tip : For best taste and result use fresh coconut .

Onions

Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This gas is also known as the Lachrymatory Factor (‘crying factor'). It stimulates the eyes' lachrymal glands so they release tears. This gas is instable and can react with water which results in, among others, sulphuric acid. When this happens in the eye, the eyes start to neutralize the acid by producing large amounts of water, and thus make us cry.

Cutting onions without tears:



Cold onions are less smelly yes.
Running under water does help.
Make sure the onions are very fresh. The older the onion the more it smells.
Breathe through your mouth not your nose while cutting onions.
If you get too teared up go stick your head in a fridge.... at work I walk into the freezer or cooler and breathe deep through your mouth to clear the onion stuff.
For those freezing onions a question. Do you blanch them first or do you just bag them and freeze them?
chill first the onions before cutting, and this reduces the amount of enzymes, its very effective..
when cutting onions you should use a sharp knife to slice onion because when the onion cells get crushed or broken the enzymes are then released and its the enzymes from the onion which make you cry.
Another good tip is to chill your onions in the frezzer before cutting them and this reduces the amount of enzymes that were released.

keep them in the refrigerator before you slice into them the juices won't be so juicy expelling the fumes that irritate your eyes, also: use very sharp knife, slice in half and run under cold water to get rid of the juices. If all else fails then put clear goggles over your eyes to keep the fumes away.

Ball up a piece of white bread and impale it on the tip of the knife to absorb the fumes.
Chewing gum while you chop onions may also help.
Eat a bit of lemon and your eyes will not tear even if you work with hundreds of onions.

Eye irritation can also be avoided by having a fan blow the gas away from the eyes as the onion is being cut.

Mullangi Koora/ Mooli ki sabji

Ingredients:
1. Mullangi/Radish: 200 gms.
2. Minappapu/Urad dal: 2 tsp.
3. Aavalu/ Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
4. Jeelakarra/ Cumins seeds: 1 tsp.
5. Ginger: 1 inch
6. Garlic: 2 pods
7. Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp.
8. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
9. Turmeric: 1 tsp.
10. Cardamom: 2.
11. Green chillies: 3.
12. Salt as per taste.
13. Chilli powder: 1 tsp.

Procedure:
1) Grate the Radish.
2) Grind Ginger, Garlic, Coriander seeds, cumins seeds, cardamom, green chillies.
3) In a kadai, put oil and fry Urad dal, once its a bit brown add mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
4) Once they spattle, add the grineded masala, turmeric. Fry them for 2 mins.
5) Add Grated Radish.
6) Cover and cook for 5 mins.
7) Add salt and cook till the radish is done.
8) Add chilli powder and cook for 2 mins.
9) Serve hot with Roti.

Gulab Jamoon with Milk Powder

Ingredients:
1) Milk Powder : 200 gms.
2) Maida : 50 gms.
3) Baking Powder: 1 pinch.
4) Milk: 50 ml.
5) Sugar: 250 gm.
6) Water for Syrup.
7) Ghee: 2 tsp.
8) Oil to fry.

Procedure:
1. Mix milk powder, maida, ghee , milk and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Add little water and prepare a dough. Keep aside for 5 mins.
3. Make marble size balls.
4. Fry them in the ghee or oil till they become golden brown.
5. Dip them in the sugar syrup.


For Sugar Syrup

Boil 250 gm sugar with 200gm water.
Keep boiling until sugar dissolves and syrup is ready.

To check one syrup: Place one drop of the above syrup into two fingers and when you try to open the fingers then you should see one line of the syrup separating the two fingers.

Tip:

Gulab jamum should be fried on a very slow flame that will make the gulab jamun soft from the inside.